What Can You Do With the Echo?

Of course, the Amazon Echo can process information out of the box and is compatible with all the skills on the store page. This means you can get information from the web, convert units quickly, and connect it to services like Domino’s Pizza and Uber.

Finally, you can also connect your mobile device to your Echo via Bluetooth. This lets you use the Echo as a Bluetooth speaker to play music or video audio.

What Can’t You Do With the Echo?

The Echo’s limitations are few compared to the other devices. Though this is common to all devices, the Echo won’t work with phone calls or any notifications if you’re using it as a Bluetooth speaker. If you’re playing some music from your phone and you receive a text, you won’t receive an audible notification when it comes in.

Otherwise, the Echo must be plugged into a wall outlet to work. This means you can’t take it with you on trips, and moving it between rooms is a bit of a pain. Compared to the later devices we’ll look at, the Echo also doesn’t have a screen or camera. Thus, all of your interactions with the Echo come through voice or via the Alexa app.

The original Echo is the most expensive of the speakers, so if you already have a good Bluetooth speaker it’s probably not worth the cost for you. A small-to-medium-sized home where you don’t need Alexa in more than one room will benefit the most from the regular Echo.

Amazon Echo Dot

The $50 Echo Dot is Amazon’s low-cost, smaller Echo device. Refreshed in October 2016, it now offers better microphones, a lower cost, and support for multi-room Alexa usage.

Since the Dot has low-end speakers, it’s intended to connect to another speaker via Bluetooth. But one of its unique offerings is an aux-out port: if you have an older speaker without Bluetooth, just grab a 3.5 mm cable and the Echo will output its sound to that.

With its price and size, Amazon designed the Dot so you can spread multiple devices throughout your home. To help with this, it includes a feature where only the closest Dot will respond to you when you say Alexa.

What Can’t You Do With the Dot?

You’ll find the same limitations with the Dot as the Echo. You must plug it into an outlet for it to function, unless you buy a separate battery pack6 Portable Amazon Echo (Dot) Batteries6 Portable Amazon Echo (Dot) BatteriesAmazon's Echo Dot crunches the Echo down into a compact package. On top of that, with a battery, you can make your Amazon Echo portable! You just need a special battery -- but which battery...Read More. The Dot doesn’t work with phone calls or notifications, and it doesn’t have a screen. The biggest can’t with the Dot is its poor audio quality, as mentioned. The built-in speakers will work fine for hearing the weather or a few jokes, but the Dot won’t do justice to romantic tunes or a summer BBQ soundtrack.

And if you have a large house that you want to power-up with Alexa, you can buy several Dots and scatter them in different rooms. Those without a lot of space in their houses should get the Dot as well, since its slim profile sits well on a coffee table in the corner of a room.

Amazon Echo Tap

While the Echo Dot slices off the Echo’s speaker, the $130 Echo Tap originally removed the voice functionality. At launch, the only way to talk to Alexa was pressing the button on the speaker. However, Amazon has since updated the device to wake up to saying Alexa just like the others.

What Can You Do With the Tap?

The biggest selling point of the Echo Tap is its portability. In addition to the Tap being a smaller size than the Echo, it doesn’t need power from an outlet to work. Instead, it has an internal battery that Amazon claims lasts for up to nine hours of music playback. When it’s time to charge, you don’t have to plug it in — just set it on the included cradle to charge it up.

You’ll also find an audio input jack on the Echo Tap. This lets you connect devices directly to play music if you don’t want to use Bluetooth, which also works.

The Best Fit for the Tap

Unsurprisingly, the Tap is a good fit for someone who wants to move their Echo around a lot. If you’re in the market for a portable Bluetooth speaker already and have interest in Alexa, try out the Tap for the best of both worlds at a good price.

We are not big device geeks in my family, but the Amazon Echo Tap is a new favorite

If a picture isn’t enough, the Look also supports short video clips. To see yourself from every angle, you can spin around or do whatever you need, then review the clips using the Echo Look app. And the new Style Check service uses algorithms and input from “fashion specialists” to tell you which of two outfits looks better.

What Can’t You Do With the Look?

At this time the Look isn’t in the wild yet, so it’s tough to discuss its limitations. The device’s appearance suggests that the speakers will be minimal, so expect sound quality similar to that of the Echo Dot. We’ve seen rumors that the Look won’t connect to Bluetooth speakers, but can’t confirm this.

The Best Fit for the Look

Obviously, those who buy the Look should have interest in its camera capabilities. If you often wonder about what to wear and would appreciate the advice from computer algorithms and fashion experts, get the Look. Fashion fanatics who want to compile an album of all their past outfits should buy this one, too.

Seems like the #EchoLook could be a useful safety, security, education, photos, kitchen, etc. tool. Why not at least mention the potential?

The Look is expensive, best placed in a bedroom, and likely won’t have speakers proper for playing music. Thus, it makes a good supplemental Alexa device. If you already have an Echo in your living room or kitchen, you can add a Look to your bedroom. You could also move the Echo Dot currently in your bedroom to another room and replace it with a Look.

Echo Show - BlackEcho Show - BlackEcho Show brings you everything you love about Alexa, and now she can show you things. Watch video flash briefings, Amazon Video content, see music lyrics, security cameras, photos, weather forecasts, to-do and shopping lists, browse and listen to Audible audiobooks, and more. All hands-free-just ask. Buy Now At Amazon $149.99

The Show supports Alexa calling as described above, but beefs it up with video calls. A Show can call anyone else with a Show, or friends using the Alexa app on Android and iOS. There’s also a feature called Drop In, which lets you specify certain friends who can start a video connection to your Show anytime. Amazon says this feature is made for checking on a baby or elderly relatives.

You plug the Show into the wall for power. Powerful speakers live in the Echo Show, and it can output audio via Bluetooth as well as playing audio from your phone. You won’t have any music problems with this one!

What Can’t You Do With the Show?

Since the Show isn’t available to the public yet, we don’t know all its limitations. It’s fair to assume that since the camera isn’t elongated like the Echo Look’s, it probably won’t work as well for taking self-pictures as the latter. Additionally, the Echo Show is rather large and doesn’t have the sleekest aesthetic. It looks a bit like a mid-90s TV. As with the Look, given the device’s camera capabilities, you’ll want to think about the inherent security risks.

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likefunbutnot

June 8, 2017 at 3:04 pm

Why are we tied up with using Dots with Bluetooth speakers? Any random $30+ set of standard computer speakers will sound nicer than the Echo and will offer stereo sound to boot (the Echo is mono). There's really no reason to ever buy an Echo.

I've plugged Echo Dots in to the Line in on all my desktop PCs, so I functionally have Alexa access everyplace I have a computer. I find this really handy, and it's not even possible to do that with the expensive version.

Ben is MakeUseOf's Gaming section editor and Creative Co-director. He holds a B.S. in Computer Information Systems from Grove City College, where he graduated Cum Laude and with Honors in his major. He's currently focusing on ramping up MUO's Gaming content to appeal to gamers both casual and hardcore.